Potential downsides of understanding people’s motivations to do “bad” things (however you define “bad”):
You could become cynical/misanthropic as you see how many people have these “low motives” and this could damage your ability to relate to people
You could become extremely guilty as you realize how many “low motives” you yourself possess
You could become less willing to oppose bad behavior because you find it easier to empathize with
You could become trapped in “low motives” or dysfunctional mindsets yourself, as a result of spending too much attention on modeling them in others
I think these potential downsides are actually real and people who fear them have a point. I’d love to hear the case for these fears being unrealistic or surmountable.
Alternatively: what are the advantages of understanding people’s motivations to do bad things, which are big enough to outweigh the risk of cynicism, guilt, social contagion, etc?
